Water in a swimming pool is conventionally kept in circulation by a pump which causes a steam of the water to discharge continuously from the pool. From the pool, the discharged water flows to the pump and then returns to the pool. While the water is flowing to and from the pool it is filtered and disinfected.
Debris which floats on the surface of water is conventionally skimmed and collected in a perforated basket which is mounted in the stream of water which discharges from the pool. The basket is emptied manually and as a result, is not emptied continuously but only periodically.
The debris which floats in a pool commonly originates from vegetation in the vicinity of a pool. Leaves, needles from evergreens and twigs usually constitute the bulk of the floating debris. When such debris is allowed to accumulate in a perforated basket, it can inhibit the flow of water which circulates in a pool. At its worst, such debris can clog the basket entirely and cause a pump to overheat and eventually to break down.
We have invented a skimmer which removes floating debris continuously from a swimming pool. The skimmer is mounted in the stream of water which discharges from a pool and removes the debris as soon as it contacts the skimmer. As a result, floating debris is removed before it can interfere with the flow of the water. The skimmer is activated, in whole or in part, by one or more solar panels which face the sun and which move at a rate which equals the observed rate of movement of the sun as it crosses the sky from morning to evening. As a result, the solar panels continuously face the sun during daylight and receive maximum energy from the sun's rays.
The skimmer not only removes debris but provides an escape route for small animals that fall into a pool. Rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, mice and voles normally drown in a pool and sink to the bottom. Occasionally however their bodies float on the surface and are drawn out of a pool by the water which discharges from it. A conventional skimmer can be clogged by their bodies whereas our skimmer removes their bodies without clogging. Should the animals be alive when they reach our skimmer, they can climb onto the skimmer and be carried out of the water without injury.